"Spencer... come on, you've been at that since you got home."
"I know. But if I can get this done I can start the next project tomorrow."
Toby groaned, spinning the creaky grey swivel chair around so his girlfriend would face him. He reached forward and took Spencer's hands in his own effectively keeping the chair in place. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Are you almost done at least?" She nodded. "Okay then. How about once you're done we'll play scrabble?" He flashed a crooked smile at her.
"Sounds perfect." She said, leaning her head back on the chair.
Toby got up and went into the living room, grabbing the scrabble game from the bottom drawer in the coffee table. So far things were going as planned. The only thing bothering him was the unknown. What if she said no?
He shook his head, casting the ridiculous thought aside. Of course she would say yes. They had been together since high school, and he was positive that they both loved each other more than anything in the world. But that tiny seed of doubt in his mind couldn't help but play devil's advocate.
He got out the board and the memories came flooding back; the first time they'd played together in that motel, having a stake out. He and Spencer had played scrabble before going to bed. Toby smiled to himself as he remembered waking up to her arm around him; he had just laid there in quiet satisfaction while Spencer wormed her way out. That was the moment he had decided that he was going to kiss her; he wanted more moments like that.
Ones that he didn't have to pretend to be sleeping for.
That morning marked the beginning of a story that he never wanted to end. That sounds cheesy. He thought to himself. But if he was being honest with himself, that was how he felt. Cheesy or not, it didn't matter when it came to Spencer. She was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with; there was no doubt in his mind about that.
He looked at the board on the table in front of him. Carefully, he dug out some letters from the box, spelling "marry me' in the center of the board. He took a breath before picking out seven more letter tiles, and placing them on the letter trough.
He reached into his pocket and plucked the ring from his pocket. He'd been carrying the ring around in a small velvet bag since he'd bought it. There was no way he was letting it out of his sight.
He took a step back, admiring his work. In addition to the 'marry me', the phrase was now accompanied by 'I love you', where the o in love was now replaced by the engagement ring. Now, normally the only thing he had good taste in (according to Spencer) was shirts, but he had a feeling she was a tad biased. The ring, however, he had picked out entirely by himself. It was a plain silver band with a heart shaped diamond. The ring was perfect; it wasn't glitzy and ostentatious like any Rosewood citizen would expect a Hastings to have protruding from her finger.
In Toby's opinion, it was perfect.
Nobody from their group of friends knew of his proposal plans; this was something he wanted to keep between himself and Spencer for the night. Maybe that was a mistake, had he have told them maybe he could've gone out for a drink earlier to calm his nerves.
Now sitting and looking at the set up in front of him, Toby began to panic. He cracked his knuckles as he went to grab a lighter to ignite the candles he had put out. Instead of walking through the door normally, Toby walked right into something, or rather somebody.
Internally, that set his panic into overdrive.
"All done." Spencer said cheerily.
"Great. I'm just going to grab a lighter for the candles and I'll be right there." Quickly reaching across the kitchen counter, he grabbed the lighter from where Spencer had put it earlier that evening.
"Toby!" He felt his heart race. "What have I told you about picking my letters for me? Cheater!"
A little shakily, Toby replied, "Oh I assure you I haven't cheated." He went back into the living room, flicking the lighter out of anxiety. He saw Spencer looking as beautiful as ever staring blankly at the board. Her mouth was parted slightly. She looked up at him silently, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his with a flurry of questions flying in their reflection.
He placed the lighter on the coffee table and grabbed the ring from between the letters. He bent down on one knee, which caused Spencer to click back into reality, and realize exactly what was happening. A dry sob escaped her mouth.
"Spencer Jill Hastings, you have been by far, the best part of my life. I don't regret a single thing with you, because every kiss, every fight, every word we've exchanged has brought us to this moment. It's in this moment that I am so incredibly sure that I love you with every single fibre of my being, and that nothing will ever change that. It's also in this moment that I want to ask you to be my wife, because nothing would make me happier than being able to call you Mrs. Cavanaugh." He looked down at the ring for a second, clenched in between his fingers, keeping him from losing his focus. "This is going to sound cheesy," He said with a grin. "But will you make me the happiest man alive, and do me the honor of marrying you?"
Spencer has tears in her eyes by the time Toby was done. Her throat was tight with emotion, and she couldn't find the words in her mind to say yes.
"If it makes any difference, I'll even sign over all of my shirts to be used at your discretion."
Spencer's hands were over her mouth now, trying to stifle the sobs that were so desperately trying to escape her. She nodded and gasped. "Yes. Yes!"
Toby slipped the ring onto her finger, looking much better on than it had looked in the tiny velvet bag.
He got up off his knee and felt Spencer wrap her arms around him, crushing her lips to his with such fervor it astounded him. She pushed him onto the couch, straddling him.
"First order of business as your fiancée and owner of all of your shirts: This one needs to come off. Now." She whispered.
Toby smiled, unbuttoning his shirt. He couldn't help but wonder to himself why he'd ever doubted that she would say yes.